Is your first reaction to put moisturiser on your skin after you've burned yourself? We hope not! Because the oils in any skin cream could potentially cause your skin to keep burning under the cream, giving you a worse burn! Read on to find out how to treat your burn…

Paula Abdul suffered really bad burns this week when she used a health spa wrap she’d ordered. The wrap is believed to have left her with second degree burns to her thigh after she used the infra-red wrap to increase cellulite fighting enzymes within her tissues.

Would you know how to treat a burn if you happened to be in the same situation?

You wouldn’t throw oil onto a fire to put it out, so why would you put an oil based product onto your burned skin?

There are too many old wives tales out there about how to treat a burn injury, and you’re potentially worsening your burn by not using the correct care on your burn.

Revealed: Dos and don’ts of treating a burn

Let’s start with the don’ts of treating a burn!

Don’ts:

·Don’t put any oil based product onto your skin – if you’re not sure whether there is oil in the product, leave it off

·Don’t simply cover the area with a dressing without rinsing the area – residue of whatever has caused the burn could remain on the skin and keep on burning

·Don’t break any blisters that have formed – this is your skin’s way of keeping the infection out

·Don’t put toothpaste, butter, eggs, shoe polish or anything else on your burn because your grandmother said it would work

Dos:

·Do seek medical attention if you’ve burned yourself on an area bigger than the size of your palm on your face, neck, chest or genitals

·Do flush the area of burned skin with copious amounts of running water. Ensure the water is running and not ice cold. Keep flushing the area for at least ten minutes.

·Do use products specifically made for treating burns. You can enquire as to the range of products available at any pharmacy

·Do make every effort to prevent infection to an open area of skin if a blister has broken.

And since around 195 000 people die every year because of burns says the World Health Organisation, knowing how to treat burns is extremely important in maintaining your health and ensuring your body is able to heal itself properly.

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